]]>August 29th 2019 marks 53 years since Sayyid Qutb, the great Egyptian Muslim thinker, was hanged by the regime of Gamal Abdel Nasser.

Sayyid Qutb was born on October 9th 1906 in the Egyptian town of Musha. He memorised the Qur’ān at the age of 10, before relocating to Cairo and earning a degree in literature. Qutb devoted himself to authorship and literature, and from a young age would amass books and scholarly work and borrow from shopkeepers when he could not afford these books.

Later on, he was awarded a scholarship to study in the United States. There, after a period of self-reflection and inner reformation from previous convictions, he found peace and contentment with Islām. His experience in the United States created in his conscience a wholesome understanding of the manifestations of secularism and materialism, evident before his very eyes, and was of the strongest forces of influence in inclining his heart towards Islām.

Qutb argued that the Sharī’ah is the most comprehensive system and extends to all aspects of life. He believed that the Sharī’ah would bring every kind of benefit to humanity, including personal and social peace, and unlock the treasures of the universe. [1] Qutb believed the Sharī’ah to be the only adequate basis for political governance and powerfully refuted the then-popular ideology of Arab nationalism.

Qutb published his first major theoretical Islamic work in 1949, titled ‘Social Justice in Islām’. Other works of his include ‘In the Shade of the Qur’ān’, ‘Scenes of the Day of Judgement in the Qur’ān’, and ‘Milestones’. These books are read and benefited from by millions across the world to this day.

My Brother You Are Free Behind Bars

Having lived in the ‘Shade of the Qur’ān’, Qutb determinedly carried the weight of Islām and was prepared to pay whatever price in pursuit of seeing it prevail. His death spurred life into his message, one that until today troubles Islām’s adversaries, frustrates contemporary dictators, and exhausts pseudo-religious charlatans tasked with blowing life into despots.

The poem “My brother you are free behind bars,” written while Qutb was himself confined within a cell, has left an enormous impression on those who have embraced Qutb’s same altruistic concerns. The poem follows a figurative and paradoxical style and language. Qutb wrote it whilst destined for execution for his Da’wah, yet it imparts an overpowering sense of certainty in Allāh’s universal promises (Yaqīn) in its truest form. The words of the poem demonstrate Qutb’s insistence on persevering on his Manhaj (methodology or way), and imparts remarkable clarity of outlook towards the greatest purpose of existence: Allāh’s pleasure and Paradise. Thus, without intentional broadcast, the poem naturally spread across the four corners of the earth. Just one of many sung versions online has over 10 million views—this is, God willing, the natural result of sincerity, even if one’s message emerges from inside a dark, solitary cell.

A number of accounts exist as to why Qutb wrote these heart-wrenching words, particularly as he was not known for composing much poetry. One such account states that soon before his execution, Qutb was being dragged between other inmates, and one of them could not help but ecstatically greet Qutb. Touched, and knowing what that inmate would suffer as a result of his gesture, Qutb composed “My brother you are free behind bars.”

Another version mentions that Qutb sent some words of reassurance and encouragement to his colleague Muḥyī al-Din ‘Atiyah, a poet and one of the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, who was also incarcerated at the time, saying:

أخي أنت حر وراء السدود أخي أنت حر بتلك القيود

إذا كنت بالله مستعصما فماذا يضيرك كيد العبيد

أخي ستبيد جيوش الظـلام ويشرق في الكون فجر جديد

فأطلق لروحـك إشراقها تر الفجر يرمقنا من بعيد

“My brother you are free behind bars, my brother you are free despite your shackles … so long as you hold firmly to Allāh, how can the schemes of man harm you?

My brother, the soldiers of darkness will perish, and on earth will a new dawn prevail … so allow your soul to radiate brightly, and observe the dawn glancing at us from a distance.”

أخي قد أصابك سهم ذليل و غدرا رماك ذراعٌ كليل

ستُبترُ يوما فصبر جميل و لم يَدْمَ بعدُ عرينُ الأسود

أخي قد سرت من يديك الدماء أبت أن تُشلّ بقيد الإماء

سترفعُ قُربانها … للسماء مخضبة بدماء الخلود

“My brother you have been hit by a cowed arrow … and you have been struck treacherously by a fatigued arm.

One day it will be cut off so have beautiful patience … and the lions’ lairs will no longer bleed.

My brother, blood has gushed from your hands … refusing to be debilitated by the shackles of slaves.

It will be raised as a sacrifice to the heavens … smothered in eternal blood …”

When Qutb was admitted to the prison hospital for treatment, ‘Atiyah replied to him on the same rhythmical template as Qutb’s first address:

أخي هل تراك سئمت الكفاح وألقيت عن كاهليك السلاح؟

فمن للضحايا يواسي الجراح ويرفع رايتها من جديــد؟

“My brother, so it seems that you have become fatigued by your struggle … and thrown your armaments off your upper back …

Who have you left to console the injured … and to raise their flag all over again?”

Tomorrow I will swing a decimating axe … at the heads of snakes until they perish.

My brother, if your tears fall on me, and you drench my grave with them in fear …

Allow my remains to ignite your spirits … and proceed with them towards an illustrious past.

My brother, if we die, we will meet our loved ones. For Allāh’s paradise has been prepared for us …

And its birds are flapping their wings around us. How fortunate are we to deserve the Eternal Home?”

On receiving ‘Atiyah’s words, Qutb replied:

أخي إنني ما سئمت الكفــاح ولا أنا ألقيت عني الســلاح

وإن حاصرتني جيوش الظلام فإني على ثقة بالصـــباح

وإني على ثقة من طريقــي إلى الله رب السنا والشـروق

وإن عضني الشوك أو عافني فإني أمين لعهدي الوثــيق

“My brother, I have not become fatigued by my struggle … nor have I thrown down my armaments.

Even if I am besieged by the forces of darkness … I have full conviction that the morning will arrive.

And I am confident on my path … that path towards Allāh, the Lord of Light and Dawn.

Even if I am pierced or spared … I will remain entrusted and firm on my promise.”

أخي فامض لا تلتفت للوراء طريقك قد خضبته الدماء

و لا تلتفت ههنا أو هناك و لا تتطلع لغير السماء

“My brother, go ahead and do not look back … your path is one paved with blood.

Do no turn your head here nor there … and look towards nothing besides the heavens.”

سأثأرُ لكن لربٍ و دين و أمضي على سنتي في يقين

فإما إلى النصر فوق الأنام وإما إلى الله في الخالدين

“I will avenge, but for a Lord and a religion … and I will continue on my way with certainty.

Either I will be given victory over the rest of men … or to Allāh I return to His eternal abode.”[2]

Epitomising his Message and Struggle

Sayyid Qutb’s words epitomised his message: that the believer is a slave not to his whims, desires, wealth, nor the forces beneath Allāh, but to Allāh alone.

All besides Allāh’s true slaves are restrained by materialism and the pettiness of their carnal instincts. For Qutb and those who followed his determined path of reform and struggle against tyranny, physical chains were more meagre than the chains of lusts and desires that fettered their tormentors. And 53 years on, whilst the heritage and courage of Sayyid Qutb continues to be remembered, Abdel Nasser, who once enthralled the Egyptian masses, is only remembered as a tyrant, traitor, and coward.

Qutb’s poem recalls how the believer voyages towards Allāh, delighted by his destination, utterly dependent on Him and unaffected by the schemes of man. His concern is how to free his constricted brothers in humanity to the expanse of servitude to the Lord of humanity; from the subjugation of man-made systems to the justice of Islām.

The believer shatters within himself the idolism of godlessness, and overcomes his internal fear of tyrants and kings who have embraced the pharaonic slogan: “I do not show you except what I see”[3] and “If you take a god other than me, I will surely place you among those imprisoned.”[4] The believer is not afraid to embrace the response of Yusuf ʿalayhi al-Salām: “My Lord, prison is more to my liking than that to which they invite me.”[5]

Without doubt, Qutb’s contribution to Islamic thought, reformation, and literature was underpinned by revolutionary sentiment. Many used this to criticise and accuse him of being the inspirer of ‘Takfīri’ thought (excommunication). Much like other notable theologians of the past, his works have been either segmented, separated from the cataclysmic political repression he and masses of others were facing, exaggerated, or outright fabricated.

Qutb’s struggle and journey led him to conclude that Nasser’s government was just another proponent of anti-Islamic thought and secularism. Rather than become an advocator of divine authority, Qutb believed that it was just another power assisted by Western imperialism and driven by remnants of colonialism. Qutb settled on becoming one of the most important inspirers of Islamic political activism in Egypt and across the world, and one of the most famous theologians and thinkers in contemporary history.

Fourteen years before the hanging, Qutb delivered an address at a military parade attended by Abdel Nasser himself, celebrating the fall of the Egyptian monarchy. Addressing the audience, Qutb said:

“We cannot praise the revolution, because it has not achieved anything noteworthy. The ouster of the king was not the aim of the revolution, rather its aim is to return the country to Islām … I was prepared for imprisonment during the period of the [Egyptian] monarchy … and today I am also prepared for imprisonment and for other than imprisonment, even more than before.”

To this, Abdel Nasser replied: “My older brother Sayyid, by Allāh they will not reach you except on our lifeless bodies!”

Just 14 years later, what Qutb envisaged became a reality. He was executed at the hands of his ‘students’, the ‘Officers of the July Revolution’ against Egypt’s monarchy.

Qutb preferred death and torture to renouncing what he had declared. It is said that once he was asked: “Why were you so direct during your court hearings?” to which he replied: “Indirect insinuations (Tawriyah) are not permitted in matters of ‘Aqīdah, and it is not for a leader to take concessions.” Just before the execution rope was tied around Sayyid Qutb’s neck, some of Abdel Nasser’s junta tried to lure him to relinquish some of his positions. To this he replied:

“The finger that testifies that there is no God but Allāh in Tawḥīd during my prayer refuses to write a single word endorsing a tyrant.”[6]

May Allāh have mercy on Sayyid Qutb and those who have been killed in defiance of tyranny in Egypt and across the Muslim world. Ameen.

]]>https://www.islam21c.com/opinion/my-brother-you-are-free-remembering-sayyid-qutbs-farewell-poem/feed/048410China’s Concentration Camps: What Can We Do?https://www.islam21c.com/politics/chinas-concentration-camps-what-can-we-do/
https://www.islam21c.com/politics/chinas-concentration-camps-what-can-we-do/#commentsWed, 17 Jul 2019 17:07:42 +0000https://www.islam21c.com/?p=46708“We are witness to the ‘largest industrial scale persecution of a religious minority since the Holocaust’ and we find Muslim leaders, at best, staying silent, and at worst, speaking in support of such persecution!”

]]>It was just a week ago when news outlets, including Islam21C, [1] reported on a joint letter signed by 22 UN ambassadors condemning China for their abhorrent treatment of Uyghur Muslims. They collectively stated:

“We call also on China to refrain from the arbitrary detention and restrictions on freedom of movement of Uighurs, and other Muslim and minority communities in Xinjiang.” [2]

Whilst such statements are perhaps lacking in any tangible consequence, they are still welcome and at least continue to apply some pressure on China to halt its attempts to ethnically cleanse our Uyghur brothers and sisters in the East Turkestan region.

However, what was most striking about the joint statement, was the absence of a single Muslim-majority country as a signatory. Nations across Europe and as far as Canada, Australia, and Japan, signed the letter, but there was a deafening silence from the Muslim world. Not anymore though.

On Friday evening, a new letter was published; this time it was signed by 37 states, including a number of Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Pakistan, along with the likes of Myanmar and Russia. But rather than adding to the condemnation of blatant human rights abuses, these nations instead wrote in support of China, somewhat echoing statements of Chinese propaganda:

“We commend China’s remarkable achievements in the field of human rights.” [3]

“Faced with the grave challenge of terrorism and extremism, China has undertaken a series of counter-terrorism and deradicalisation measures in Xinjiang, including setting up vocational education and training centres. Now safety and security has returned to Xinjiang.” [4]

Further signatories of this shocking letter included Qatar, Kuwait, and the tyrannical Assad regime. Considering the other signatories, the only surprising fact was that no one signed on behalf of Egypt’s coup dictator, Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi!

The shock and focus of the Muslim world switched from the silence of their so-called leaders to witnessing their explicit support for the severe oppression of fellow believers. In a well-known ḥadīth, the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said:

“Whosoever of you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then [let him change it] with his tongue; and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart — and that is the weakest of faith.” [5]

We may wonder; if this is the weakest form of faith, what then is the active support of such evil?

A Recent Timeline of Worsening Abuse

China’s treatment of the Uyghur population of East Turkestan has been making occasional headlines for a number of years, albeit with limited attention from the mainstream media. The 12-million-strong population in the resource-rich region of East Turkestan have faced a series of measures over the years under the guise of ‘fighting terrorism’. Starting with reports of Muslims being prevented from fasting and the banning of the ḥijāb and growing of beards, [6] measures widened around 2016 to 2017 to restrictions on naming of children with Muslim names, [7] banning the Qur’ān and prayer mats, [8] and limiting travel for Ḥajj.[9]

Yet, with the exception of Turkey quietly raising concerns, [10] Muslim nations remained silent, as did the world at large.

It was only in 2018 when reports emerged of large numbers of Muslims being forcibly taken into detention centres in the region, that the UN and certain nations started to raise concerns. In April 2018, one US diplomat estimated that somewhere between tens and hundreds of thousands of Uyghur Muslims had been locked up in these centres. [11] Very little information was offered on what occurs in these prisons, which China refers to as ‘voluntary re-education camps’.

Fast-forward to today – less than 18 months later – and it is said that more than 4.4 million Uyghurs are being held. That is more than 1 in every 3 Muslims in the region! [13] A recent BBC report also detailed how children are being separated from their parents, with no contact allowed at all. [14] It reported that China has spent $1.2 billion on upgrading school facilities to accommodate these removed children, who now face a similar fate to their parents in concentration camps.

The situation is described by China expert, Adrian Zenz, as “cultural genocide” [14]:

“I think the evidence for systematically keeping parents and children apart is a clear indication that Xinjiang’s government is attempting to raise a new generation cut off from original roots, religious beliefs and their own language.”

“I believe the evidence points to what we must call cultural genocide.” [14]

As prominent journalist CJ Werlemen put it, we are witness to the “largest industrial scale persecution of a religious minority since the Holocaust” [15] and we find Muslim leaders, at best, staying silent, and at worst, speaking in support of such persecution!

Perhaps it is not that surprising in some cases, given that the Saudi Crown Prince has praised the measures in the past, saying “Saudi Arabia respects and supports it [persecution of the Uyghurs under the pretext of fighting terrorism] and is willing to strengthen cooperation with China” [16] whilst the United Arab Emirates was alleged to have deported an Uyghur mu’addhin at random, amongst others, seeking to please the Chinese. [17]

Why is the Muslim World so Silent?

The abysmal silence of Muslim political leadership has previously been explained by Lukman Harees in an article: China is a key trade partner to almost every Muslim country – to the extent that turning against China would probably result in severe damage to their economies. Furthermore, it is a sad reality that many of our leaders are known for their lack of Islamic principles – i.e. their own corruption and their abuse of the rights of Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) and His creation – so they are hardly likely to throw stones from their glasshouses.

Muslims around the world yearn and pray for a time when our response would be like that of the story of the Muslim woman and Caliph al-Muʿtaṣim, in 837 CE. In this well-known historical event, one of our sisters was attacked by a group of Romans whilst in their land, and she was locked up unjustly. She cried out to the Muslim ruler at the time, al-Muʿtaṣim, who was thousands of miles away. But her call was heard by a passer-by, who rushed to make this incident known to the Caliph.

Upon hearing what had happened, the response was immediate. Al-Muʿtaṣim said:

“A report has reached me that one Muslim sister was attacked in a Roman city. I swear by God, I will send an army that is so big that when it reaches them, it [the tail end of the army] is still leaving our base. And tell me the strongest city of these Romans and I will send the army to that city.”

The army, led by al-Muʿtaṣim himself, swiftly defeated the oppressors in their most fortified land, ʿAmūriyyah, and rescued the woman. [18]

This incident highlights the sanctity and honour of a fellow believer and shows how oppression against even one sister was dealt with – under true Islamic leadership. Indeed, paying to free captives is from amongst the categories of zakāt, [19] showing just how significant eradicating such oppression is in our dīn. Imām Mālik mentioned:

“It is obligatory for the people to ransom those taken as prisoners of war, even if doing so consumes all their property.” [20]

What Can We Do Today?

Recalling an incident from our rich Islamic history is all well and good, and it shows us what we are sadly missing – especially when contrasted against many of the puppet regimes in place today. But the natural question is, what can we do about this injustice?

We are an ummah of 1.6 billion, from various backgrounds and various levels of religious adherence. But regardless of how ‘practising’ one is of their religion, it is safe to say that almost every single one of those 1.6 billion will witness the suffering of our brothers and sisters in East Turkestan and feel pain in their hearts, just as we do when we see suffering elsewhere in the world. This is brotherhood and sisterhood, on top of natural human instinct and empathy.

As mentioned in the ḥadīth further above, when we are faced with an act of evil, the best thing one can do is seek to change it with their hands – within one’s ability – and failing that, speak against the crime.

Some of the actions available to almost every Muslim, certainly in the Western world, include:

I. Trying our best to avoid Chinese goods. The consumer power of 1.6 billion Muslims should not be underestimated, and even if a small portion of these boycotted Chinese goods (to the extent possible), the impact will be felt. A large number of Muslims support the BDS campaign against Zionist occupation; why can this not be extended to China for their crimes.

Recently, CJ Werleman has led this call, acknowledging that whilst there may be Chinese presence in almost every product, there are still specific corporations that are vital to the Chinese economy, such as from Huawei, Vivo, Lenovo, ZTE, Anker, Haier, and others from the technology sector. He details other sectors and well-known, easily-avoidable brands that could be targeted. More can be found here.

II. Speaking out frequently and raising awareness on the plight of our brothers and sisters in East Turkestan. One should never underestimate the power of speaking out against evil. China, for such a large and seemingly powerful nation, is incredibly sensitive to criticism. This can be clearly seen from the way they have responded to reports about Uyghur treatment, starting with blanket denials, to speaking of “voluntary re-education camps”, and now taking the desperate step of inviting foreign diplomats and journalists to visit the centres themselves.

Those foreign visitors the sites face the awkwardness of seeing blatant staged events, and scripted interviews, that are so obviously done out of force, that it ends up being even more damning on China – as recently reported by the BBC when they said:

“This was China’s narrative in the mouths of people selected for us, and for whom any cross-examination might pose a serious risk.” [21]

Another example is China’s response to the original critical statement last week. Within days, a counter statement had been prepared and signed by their 37 friends and desperate partners, that has been noted to be almost verbatim matching the Chinese script. [4]

III. Following on from the above, we, as Muslims, must continue to work towards empowering our own voices and media narratives rather than having to rely on others who may lack transparency and are highly selective in what they choose to show outrage over.

For example, one might notice that we have 22 mainly-Western nations, leading calls for justice in China. In fact Western media, such as the BBC, have recently been doing a commendable job of raising awareness of the plight of the Uyghurs as well.

But whilst their stance on this particular matter is praiseworthy in spirit; it is, of course, only done due to seeing the likes of China and Russia as unfriendly or inferior nations. One can easily contrast their reaction to this matter against their reaction to the crimes of Zionist occupiers, both on a state and a media level.

If there was genuine concern for justice, there would be uniformity in their condemnation for any oppression, and concerted efforts to eradicate Islamophobia and any other discrimination wherever it is found – including within the ranks of the Tory leadership.

The narrative of Muslims, by being based on the true justice of the Sharīʿah, should be powerful enough to push others towards greater transparency and consistency; which would in turn result in a fairer media and far more public pressure to end oppression in all of its forms.

IV. Raising awareness of the harmful nature of so-called ‘counter-extremism’ policies that are Islamophobic in nature and promoted by state actors and their cheerleaders. Across Europe and the USA, we see many policies and programmes such as ‘Prevent’ that are baseless in their approach and place entire communities under suspicion. The reality is these programmes, in their nature, are no different to China’s approach to the Uyghurs.

Yes, they may be on completely different scales, but they share the underlying and fundamental principle of looking at Muslims with suspicion and treating religious practice as a ‘conveyor-belt to terrorism’. It is the same narrative, just that one is carried out by liberal democracies and one by a secretive Communist state.

V. The above four steps can only make a big impact through the unity of Muslims; working together towards greater good. Our differences should never prevent achieving greater good – and it is something we should be striving for. Furthermore, such cooperation will only empower Muslims and ultimately make them less reliant on others, and perhaps one day end the perceived need to be subservient to corrupt nations.

Alongside this, we must also work towards reducing our dependence on unjust regimes, be they China or the USA. This means strengthening transparency, democracy, and accountability in public and civil society institutions in Muslim-majority countries to bring them closer to the ideals they once lived by before they were dismantled and pillaged by colonisers. We each have a part to play, be it as a dāʿī, a parent, a politician, an entrepreneur, a civil servant, an aid worker; the reawakening, revival, and strengthening of the ummah requires everyone to do their part.

VI. Making duʿā’ for our ummah and never despairing. One should never underestimate the power of duʿā’, and one should certainly never lose hope in the mercy of Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā). He is Most-Wise, and He is Most-Just.

These six steps may not seem like game-changers that will immediately fix the problem or free the Muslims of China and elsewhere from oppression in the way al-Muʿtaṣim freed the oppressed woman, but we are not judged by Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) on the outcome of our actions – as He says in Sūrat al-Aʿrāf:

“And when a community among them said, ‘Why do you advise a people whom Allāh is [about] to destroy or punish with a severe punishment?’, they said ‘to be absolved before your Lord.’ And perhaps they may fear Him.” [22]

Hence witnessing change should not be our primary focus – the key is to take action, with sincerity and according to our ability – as this is what we will be judged upon.

What will you prepare for your answer before Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā)?

May Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) free all of our brothers and sisters from oppression, forgive our shortcomings and give us the tawfīq to get to work. Āmīn.

]]>https://www.islam21c.com/politics/chinas-concentration-camps-what-can-we-do/feed/546708Will Morsi’s Death Awaken our Voices against Injustice?https://www.islam21c.com/opinion/will-morsis-death-awaken-our-voices-against-injustice/
https://www.islam21c.com/opinion/will-morsis-death-awaken-our-voices-against-injustice/#commentsThu, 04 Jul 2019 15:39:27 +0000https://www.islam21c.com/?p=46196Lukman Harees questions when the Muslim moral imperative for striving for justice will move from the current reactive stage to a much-needed proactive stage.

]]>Dr Mohamed Morsi, the bearded and bespectacled veteran activist from the Muslim Brotherhood, died after fainting during an “animated” session in courts. Once nicknamed “The Spare Tyre”, he came into the driving seat by becoming Egypt’s first democratically elected president in 2012, in the aftermath of the Tahrir Square Arab Spring protests of 2011. He was, however, overthrown in 2013, and el-Sisi seized power.

Morsi was sentenced to more than 45 years in prison; effectively he was in solitary confinement for the past six years. True, the period of his governance was riddled with deep divisions in the Egyptian society, a crippling economic crisis, and often-deadly opposition protests. However, his tenure signified a return to civilian rule and the endorsement of the Constitution, whilst his foreign policy stance reflected support for Gaza and caused Israel dismay. [1]

Morsi’s tragic death marks the end of a chapter in the still-unfolding Arab Spring, but the country has far to go in its fight for a just future. Egypt, which was the most visible symbol of a wave of protests that promised to transform the region, has become the bulwark of reactionary politics. [2]

One key thing that Morsi’s death brings into focus is the chronic issue of human rights abuses and torture of activists in the Muslim world. El-Sisi launched a massive crackdown on political opponents and has been responsible for major human rights violations in the Sinai region. Egypt has been a tyranny of human rights, with the judiciary not being independent and having no oversight and accountability of the courts. According to Human Rights Monitor, more than 300 detainees have died in prison in Egypt since the coup in 2013, with the cause of death principally due to medical neglect and torture. In 2016, in a report titled We are Tombs, Human Rights Watch documented the grim conditions in Cairo’s high-security Scorpion Prison, where those considered enemies of the state were held. [3]

Take Saudi Arabia, which is already in the global spotlight for a multitude of rights violations and state-sponsored crimes both within and beyond, as another example. The most repugnant and blatant violations are the brutal torture of human rights activists, notably women, the barbaric and premeditated assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and alleged war crimes in Yemen. Scholars linked to al–Sahwa al-Islamiyya (Sahwa Movement or Islamic Awakening), have been jailed and tortured, and the public prosecutor has called for death sentences to be passed on peaceful activists, including Israa al-Ghomgham, Salman al-Odah, Awadh al-Qarni, and Ali Hamza al-Umri. The Sahwa Movement incidentally challenged the idea that there should be unconditional obedience to the ruler, introducing ideas that were not welcome to them. According to Amnesty International, anyone who dares to speak out in defence of human rights in Saudi Arabia today is at risk. 4 Saudi Arabia’s relentless persecution of human rights defenders is a blatant campaign aimed at deterring them from speaking about the human rights situation in the country, as well as from working on behalf of victims of violations. [4]

Human rights in Muslim-majority countries have been a hot-button issue for many decades. International Non-Government Organisations (INGOs), such as Amnesty International (AI) and Human Rights Watch (HRW), consistently pointed out gross human rights violations in Muslim-majority countries, with Egypt, Saudi Arabic, and the UAE being three examples. However, ignoring the growing human-rights violation issues and the plight of oppressed people within, will also undoubtedly dent the credibility of those in the Muslim world who effectively point out impunity or gross human rights abuses affecting Muslims elsewhere too, be they in occupied Palestine or in China. The sad state of Muslim affairs today is reflective of the fact that in one part of the world they are apathetic when in another part, they are being tortured, dismembered, and massacred.

Islām has forbidden all forms of oppression great and small. Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) commands Muslims to fight for the liberation of the weak and the helpless from oppression and tyranny and notes that this fight is real jihād in his cause. The Qur’ān says:

“And what is [the matter] with you that you fight not in the cause of Allāh and [for] the oppressed among men, women, and children who say, ‘Our Lord, take us out of this city of oppressive people and appoint for us from Yourself a protector and appoint for us from Yourself a helper.’” [5]

“Allāh said: O my servants, I have forbidden oppression for myself and have made it forbidden among you, so do not oppress one another.” [6]

Further, the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) signed the well-known Charter of Medina, becoming the first head of state in the constitutional and political history of humanity to endorse the principle of citizenship and law. The Islamic system of justice, thus, protected people’s rights and freedom. Oppression is a violation of the rights of people.

Unfortunately, the Muslim experience since the days of colonisation of their vast territories, especially after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century, has not been a pleasant one. As the colonizers left – forced out or negotiated – new states emerged with new flags under new leaders. However, the gains achieved under many of these rulers, in the post-colonial era for their people to enjoy peace, freedom, and prosperity, were sadly minimal. Of course, there are some exceptions. The irony was that the very faith which always promoted equity, truth, and justice was even misused by the newer leaders to seek their own ends. In this context, mindful of the role of religion in Muslim society, Islām came to be falsely portrayed as a religion that is not at odds with monarchy, dictatorship, and all other regressive systems. Resultantly, as the ruling system veered away from Islamic principles of justice, the Muslim world came to be ruled by military generals, kings, and amīrs, many of them becoming the likes of al-Hajjaj b. Yusuf, a ruthless ruler who history remembers mostly for his cruel oppression of activists and Islamic luminaries such as Abd-Allāh b. Jubayr (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu).

History also records innumerable men of courage who stood up against injustice and oppression of the rulers. Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī, the grandson of Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) rose up against the corrupt and oppressive political system of Yazīd ibn Mu‘āwiya. When the Ahl al-Sunnah resisted the ideas of the Muʿtazila, Caliph al-Maʾmūn instituted an inquisition against those who refused to fall in line and to pledge belief in the ‘Principle of the Qur’ān’s created-ness’. This resulted in the imprisonment and torture of many “Ahl al-Sunnah” scholars opposed to the Muʿtazila. Amongst those persecuted was Imām Ahmed b. Hanbal, who was flogged repeatedly at the Caliph’s directive. This persecution continued after al-Maʾmūn’s death under his brother al-Muʿtaṣim. Imām Ahmed was released eventually due to his unflinching resolve in the face of years of persecution. Even decades of persecution of Mandela in Apartheid cells did not bring any gains to the oppressor regimes. History always favours David over Goliath.

Be it as it may, there are serious issues that Muslim leaders should address with regard to human rights in their own backyard. Suppression and oppressing dissenting voices have become normalised in many countries, which does not augur well for the future. Such violations are a matter of serious concern and are arousing the conscience of more and more people throughout the world. Despite the active participation of Muslim representatives in the creation of Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948, the 1981 Universal Islamic Declaration of Human Rights (UIDHR), the 1990 Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam (CDHRI), and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission, it is unfortunate that human rights are being trampled upon with impunity in many Muslim countries. The flickering red lights calling for urgent reformative action, as reflected in the social media, are too dangerous to ignore. The Muslim leaders cannot bury their heads in the sand and say they have not been warned.

]]>https://www.islam21c.com/opinion/will-morsis-death-awaken-our-voices-against-injustice/feed/146196President Morsi: “Our Brother, Our Martyr”https://www.islam21c.com/politics/president-morsi-our-brother-our-martyr/
https://www.islam21c.com/politics/president-morsi-our-brother-our-martyr/#commentsMon, 17 Jun 2019 20:12:34 +0000https://www.islam21c.com/?p=45424The first and last elected President of Egypt, who answered the cries of Egypt's impoverished, Syria, and Palestine, returns to the Court of Justice, standing in the courts of tyranny. Raḥimahu Allāhu.

President Mohamed Morsi (raḥimahu Allāhu) was a President like none other: the first and last democratically elected in Egypt’s known history; A ḥāfiẓ of the Book of Allāh, the husband of a ḥāfiẓah and the father of five ḥufāẓ; [1] a leader, and a representative of the deep-rooted, profound Muslim Brotherhood organisation that emblematises decades of Islamic Scholarship, humanitarian work, and unparalleled political organisation. The group was Egypt’s unsung backbone, running 1000 Non-Governmental Organisations and developing intuitions for the poor and destitute.

With the participation of Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood organised the masses and achieved Egypt’s most peaceful transition from a wedged military tyranny to Parliamentary Democracy. The rocket scientist by trade would go on to triumph in five consecutive elections: the 2011 constitutional referendum; the 2011 to 2012 People’s Assembly vote; the 2012 Upper House of Parliament, the 2012 Presidential Election; and the referendum on the new constitution.

Despite President Morsi ruling Egypt on the lowest paid salary for a President in the world himself, he managed to increase agricultural exports increased by 20%, he reduced the Central Bank’s deficit reduced by 45%, and he raised economic growth to 2.4%. [1] Amidst perpetual protests and targeted character assassination, his administration transformed Egypt into the much-desired civil state.

It was President Morsi who answered the cries of the Syrians, severing Egypt’s ties with the bloody regime and exclaiming to all hearers – “We hear your call, Syria” – and supported its revolution. [1] Who can forget when Morsi stifled ‘Israel’s’ war on Gaza in 2012 on-par another massacre, [1] withdrawing Egypt’s ambassador to the Zionist entity. Ask the 2300 people who were killed in Gaza in 2014, or the 10,000 wounded during what the coup regime did one year after Morsi was overthrown.

2013 saw one of history’s worst crackdowns on pro-democracy activists. President Morsi was deposed, and him, along with hundreds of leaders in the Muslim Brotherhood and thousands of activists were incarcerated and trialled under the most derisory accusations. The six-year-long trial swung between jail and death sentences whilst Morsi stood defiant, upright, and smart behind a glass window, but never conceding his position as Egypt’s highest authority.

Other than the 3000 of those who were killed parading in his support, a fraction of the 13.2 million who waited under the sun to cast their votes, tens of thousands of his supporters were detained under forged charges and scores were assassinated in the bloody military crackdown that continues today. Unfortunately, this was much to the silence of the international community that instead recognised the despot, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, inviting him to economic forums and prestigious dinners, and bolstering him with hundreds of billions of petrol money.

“It is not befitting for a leader to follow concessions… all praise is due to Allāh, I strived 15 years for martyrdom…[moments before his execution he said] this finger that declares the oneness of Allāh in ṣalāh refuses to write a letter in recognition of this tyrant’s authority.” [2]

During a ‘court’ hearing on the 17th of June, 2019, President Mohamed Morsi collapsed and returned to his lord. Morsi and his family indicated to the ‘court’ that there was an imminent danger to his life due to a prevailing medical condition towards the beginning of May. The ‘court’, however, ignored his pleas. [3]

Mohamed Morsi was an icon of patience and perseverance against oppression, tyranny and the thugs of injustice. He was an icon of struggle and daʿwah to Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) in his youth whilst in the United States. Having returned with intents to revolutionise Egypt’s ailing industry, he was battered by military pawns and pseudo regimes. [1] Morsi is, today, a martyr of injustice, and has returned to his Lord whilst standing in the face of tyranny:

“The leader of the martyrs is Hamzah b. ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib and a man who stood up before a tyrant and enjoined good and forbade evil, and he killed him.”

The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) informed us:

“Everyone will be raised in the condition in which he dies.”

President Morsi died whilst being trialled unjustly and will, by Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā)’s leave, be resurrected standing in front of the tyrants paid to level counterfeit accusations at him. His adversaries will not be able to go far. Who will be jeering then when the tables turn and they are the ones facing Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā)’s Court? Whilst President Morsi’s days in dark, dreary dungeons are replaced with everlasting palaces and gardens of delight, he will see his oppressors, maybe glimpse the once tyrant standing to hear the verdict in the Court of Allāh – “They will come forth, with humbled eyes…” [4] – the angels, the Prosecutors, his limbs, his witnesses, and Allāh the Judge. This is the final decree and the sweetest retribution.

The companion of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), Haram b. Milhān, only declared, “I have won by the Lord of the Kaʿbah,” after the spear was plunged into his body whilst on his journey to teach the Qur’ān. [4] The believer of Yā Sīn, ‘Ḥabīb al-Najjār’ saw nothing of a ‘worldly positive result’ but was promised Paradise at the instant he was martyred. [4] Today, Morsi (raḥimahu Allāhu) joins them.

“And do not think Allāh to be heedless of what the unjust do; He only respites them to a day on which the eyes shall be fixedly open.” [5]

]]>https://www.islam21c.com/politics/president-morsi-our-brother-our-martyr/feed/145424Zionist state behind coup against Mohamed Morsi, says its Generalhttps://www.islam21c.com/news-views/zionist-state-behind-coup-against-mohamed-morsi-says-its-general/
https://www.islam21c.com/news-views/zionist-state-behind-coup-against-mohamed-morsi-says-its-general/#respondThu, 04 Apr 2019 15:16:46 +0000https://www.islam21c.com/?p=42082Tel Aviv allegedly feared Morsi would revoke peace treaty and send military units to the Sinai Peninsula. A general of the Zionist state has reportedly said, in the Maariv newspaper, that the Zionist government was behind the military coup that overthrew President Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president, in 2013. According to Middle East ...

A general of the Zionist state has reportedly said, in the Maariv newspaper, that the Zionist government was behind the military coup that overthrew President Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president, in 2013.

According to Middle East Monitor, Brigadier General, Aryeh Eldad, is reported to have said that after the Egyptian revolution in 2011, an assessment had concluded that Morsi supposedly intended to revoke the Egyptian peace treaty with the Zionist state, and move his troops into the Sinai Peninsula.[1]

“At that stage, Israel was quick and willing to activate its diplomatic tools, and perhaps even greater means, to bring Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to power in Egypt, and convince the then US administration under President Barack Obama not to oppose this move.”1

Eldad added that the Camp David peace agreement, made between Egypt and the Zionist state 40 years ago, has surpassed Zionist expectations and lasted for decades. This comes despite a lack of “real peace” between themselves and ordinary Egyptians, as well as the failure of the Oslo Accords in resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict.[1] This failure, he continued, is not due to a geopolitical conflict, but rather:

“We are rather having a religious war with the Palestinians and the Arabs.”[1]

In July 2013, Egypt’s first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, was overthrown in a coup d’état led by former general, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The US backed this coup and aided the arrest “pro-Western opposition leader”, Morsi, and thousands of Muslim Brotherhood members, who had been accused of terrorism and other trumped up charges.[2]

Following the military coup, thousands of Egyptians took to the streets to protest the illegal takeover. In response, the military indiscriminately fired live ammunition on the protestors, killing an estimated 3,500 people in, what is now known as, the Raba’a al-Adawiya massacre. Human Rights Watch has called the massacre “one of the world’s largest killings of demonstrators in a single day in recent history”.[3]

]]>https://www.islam21c.com/news-views/zionist-state-behind-coup-against-mohamed-morsi-says-its-general/feed/042082Tariq Ibn Ziyad: Invader or Liberator?https://www.islam21c.com/islamic-thought/history/tariq-ibn-ziyad-invader-or-liberator/
https://www.islam21c.com/islamic-thought/history/tariq-ibn-ziyad-invader-or-liberator/#commentsThu, 24 Jan 2019 17:37:18 +0000https://www.islam21c.com/?p=40348"...the Muslims were welcomed by a large proportion of the ruling aristocracy and the Jews."

“O My servants, I have made oppression unlawful for Me and unlawful for you, so do not commit oppression against one another…”[1]

The Strait of Gibraltar is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, with ships passing between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

With each of these voyages, the passengers will have to go past, or even stop at, Gibraltar, which lies at the southwestern corner of Europe, opposite to Morocco where there is no escaping the great big mountain of Gibraltar. However, what does Gibraltar mean and from where does it derive its name? Gibraltar is taken from the Arabic ‘Jabal Tāriq‘ meaning ‘Mountain of Tāriq’—Tāriq Ibn Ziyād.

What was it however that brought this dazzling young Muslim general from Africa to the heart of Europe?

Background

Though there are a number of accounts relating to his ancestry, it is widely believed that Tāriq Ibn Ziyād was born in the tribe of Nafzaw (a Berber tribe in Algeria).[2]

There is no definitive evidence on his ethnic background. What we do know was that he was a Berber. Berbers live in scattered communities across North Africa and West Africa which today includes Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Mali, Niger, and Mauretania. You therefore have light skinned as well as darker skinned Berbers. Whether or not Tāriq was black, one thing is for sure; many of his soldiers were depicted with racial connotations in the famous French poem, ‘The Song of Roland’.

Tāriq was a freed slave who, along with his father, is said to have embraced Islām since the days of the famous Muslim General, and liberator of Ifrīqiyah (today North Africa), ‘Uqbah ibn Nāfi’ al-Fihri. Islām entered North Africa through Egypt which was opened by the great companion of the Messenger of Allāh (sallAllāhu ‘alayhi wasallam), ‘Amr bin al-Ās (radiy Allāhu ’anhu). His commander, ‘Uqbah, then continued right across what is now Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and then the furthest west, Morocco. The famous incident here then took place where it is reported that ‘Uqbah continued to gallop his horse past Morocco into the Atlantic Ocean saying:

“Oh Allāh, had it not been for the sea, I would have continued to gallop with my horse until the entire earth was opened to Islām.”

Tāriq was still a teenager when he joined the Muslim army in North Africa. Despite his young age, he showed great courage and enthusiasm for the faith and for its spread in the hearts of people.

He won the trust of the General, Mūsā ibn Nusair, who appointed him Governor of Tangier at the behest of Khalīfa of the time, Walīd ibn ‘Abd al-Malik.

Mūsā of course was the son of Nusair who was a former Christian and among those taken captive by the Commander of the Muslim army. This was of course the veteran Companion among Muslim soldiers, the ‘Sword of Allāh’ unleashed against the enemies of Islām, Khālid ibn Walīd (radiy Allāhu ’anhu), after Ayn al-Tamr in Persia surrendered to him in 633 (12-15AH). This just shows quite how early in the history of Islām Tāriq featured.

Iberia

Across the shores in the Iberian Peninsula in what we today know as Spain, the Visigoths (the Goths) had been in power since the early fifth century.

The Goths subscribed to Arianism and became Catholics in the late sixth century during the reign of King Reccared (586–601). During this period, a number of Church councils were held. Church councils usually took place at intervals to decide on matters of immediate concern to local Christians.

These series of councils have come to be known as the ‘Toledo Councils’, taking their name from the city in Spain in which they were held, which was also the capital of Gothic Spain.

A group of Jews, known as the Sephardic Jews, also resided in the Iberian Peninsula at this time.

The series of councils held at Toledo towards the end of the sixth century, and during the seventh century adopted a radical goal of seeking to uproot Judaism entirely.

At the Third Council of Toledo (589), it was decreed that children of a mixed marriage had to be Christians and that Jews could not be appointed to positions of authority.[3]

Many more restrictions were placed on the Jews from successive Councils relating to the Sabbath, dietary laws, marriage laws and circumcising their young until the Seventeenth Council in 694 where all of their property was to be forfeited to the king and children over the age of seven were to be taken from them and raised as Christians.[4]

Life in Visigothic Spain was grim and deteriorated further when King Roderic took the reins in or around 710. The tyrannical and oppressive rule under him saw both Jews and non-Jews alike being persecuted.

It was in this period that the Christian Governor of Cueta, Julian, called upon the Muslims in North Africa for help. It is reported that King Reccared had dishonoured Julian’s daughter.[5]

He met with Mūsā b. Nusair who in turn sent Tarif ibn Malik on a reconnaissance mission to survey the coastline of Spain. Tarif landed at the town which still bears his name today – ‘Tarifa’. After a successful mission, Mūsā decided that it was time for the Muslims to lend Julian the support he desired. Accordingly, he tasked his courageous young Commander, Tāriq ibn Ziyād, to head an army of 7,000 men (12,000 in other accounts). Tāriq’s age is reported to have been between 19-23 at the time.

Some historians have stated that Julian supplied the ships to transport the Muslims across the shore so as to avoid detection.

Whatever the case, the first spot that Tāriq and his army landed on was in what we now call Gibraltar. It was here that the young, charismatic general gave one of the most famous military speeches, known as the ‘Khutbah (sermon) of Tāriq’, which was as follows:

“O my warriors, where will you flee? Behind you is the sea, before you, the enemy.

By Allāh! There is no salvation for you but in your courage and perseverance.

Consider your situation; here you are on this island like so many orphans cast upon the world.

You will soon be met by a powerful enemy, surrounding you on all sides like the infuriated billows of a violent sea, and sending against you countless warriors, drowned in steel, and provided with every store and description of arms.

What can you oppose them with? You have no other weapons than your swords, no provisions but those that you may snatch from the hands of your enemies…

Banish all fear from your hearts, trust that victory shall be ours, and that the barbarian king will not be able to withstand the shock of our arms…

Do not think I impose upon you a task from which I shrink myself, or that I try to conceal from you the dangers attending this expedition…

And do not imagine that while I speak to you, I mean not to act as I speak, for as my interest in this is greater, so will my behaviour on this occasion surpass yours…

for it is my intention, on the meeting of the two hosts, to attack the Christian tyrant Roderic and kill him with my own hand, inshā’Allāh (if God wills).

When you see me bearing against him, charge along with me; if I kill him, the victory is ours; if I am killed before I reach him, do not trouble yourselves about me, but fight as if I were still alive and among you, and follow up my purpose… If, however, I should be killed, after inflicting death upon their king, appoint a man from among you who unites both courage and experience, and may command you in this emergency, and follow up the success. If you follow my instructions, we are sure of victory.”[6]

It is reported that on the journey between Africa and Spain, Tāriq had a dream of the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) where it is reported that the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said to him:

“Take courage, O Tāriq! And accomplish what you are destined to perform.”[7]

It is stated that it was for this reason that Tāriq was confident of victory as apparent from his speech for he knew full well the hadīth of the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) which teaches us that Shaytān cannot take his form in a dream and as such, if you dreamt of him, it was indeed him.[8]

The Battle

The army responded to Tāriq’s battle speech by bursting with great enthusiasm to meet the enemy.

Julian and men loyal to him acted as guides through the land for the Muslims and also ensured that the people were informed that Muslims had come to liberate them from Visigoth tyranny. For the Spanish population of Jews in particular, the Muslims were seen as saviours and the Jews had in fact fought alongside them.

There are numerous accounts telling of the contributions of the Jews. Historian Gabriel Jackson states that,

“the Muslims were welcomed by a large proportion of the ruling aristocracy and the Jews.”[9]

The Jewish historian Nahum Slouschz stated:

“The victorious Muslims in 711 were everywhere supported by the Jews to whom the Muslims confided for safekeeping every city which they conquered.“[10]

In fact, Slouschz went as far as to say that Tāriq was Jewish, such was the high regard with which he was considered by Jews.

The decisive battle took place in what has come to be known as the Battle of Guadalete. The Arabic sources traditionally give Roderic 30,000 – 100,000 troops. Whatever the case, it was considerably more than the 7,000 – 12,000 of the Muslim army. The battle was a resounding victory for the Muslims and King Roderic and the oppressive Goths were written away from the pages of history, and this set the beginning of the almost eight-century long Muslim rule of Spain which was from here to be known as al-Andalus, until 1492 when Granada, the last stronghold of the Muslims, was lost to Christians as part of the Reconquista, the wider crusades.

The End of Tāriq

Tāriq and his army continued to liberate Spain, and many were receptive to the Muslims. As the British Arabist Sir Thomas Walker Arnold wrote in 1896, in ‘The Preaching of Islam’:

“Of forced conversion…, we hear nothing. Indeed, it was probably in a great measure their tolerant attitude towards the Christian religion that facilitated their rapid acquisition of the country.“

Just as the conquest and liberation of Spain was near complete, he and Mūsā received some news. Just as the politics of the Visigoths provided Tāriq with his way into al-Andalus, the politics of the Umayyads sent him on his way out. Tāriq and Mūsā were summoned to the capital of the Khilāfah, Damascus, with some spoils from the liberation. On their journey, there was news that the Khalīfah, Walīd Ibn ‘Abd al-Malik was about to die. His brother, Sulaymān ibn ‘Abd al-Malik then took the reins and became Khalīfah. It is not entirely clear why, but it seems that he had different priorities than his predecessor, and seeking to make his mark, Sulaymān decided to strip Mūsā and Tāriq of their duties, and from here on, the hero of the hour, Tāriq Ibn Ziyād fades into the background and we hear nothing further of him.

Interestingly Sulaymān, who was to die without having an heir old enough to reign, appointed his cousin, ‘Umar ibn Abd al-‘Azīz, who was to go on to become one of the greatest khalīfahs since the period of the Rāshidūn (the ‘Righly Guided’ Abū Bakr, ‘Umar, Uthmān and ‘Ali radiy Allāhu ‘anhum). Like them, he refused to accept the appointment except through their Islamically-mandated method, of pledges of allegiance from the Muslims and their representatives, earning him the title of the ‘Fifth Rightly Guided Khalīfah’.

Points to Note:

When you think of the situation of the Jews at the time who were having the pharaohnic experience with their children being taken away from them, and forcibly being converted to Christianity, the Muslim army were without a shadow of a doubt seen as liberators rather than as invaders.

Even Tāriq’s battle speech gives us an insight into the motivations of the Muslims where we find reference to Roderic as “barabaric” and a “tyrant” King – this was not on account of Roderic’s treatment of any Muslims but how he dealt with his subjects, particularly the Jews. Most of the Jews in the world were now inhabitants of a single Islamic State and thus, for the first time since the beginning of their diaspora, the Muslim state in Spain brought Jews into a single cultural, economic, and political system which gave rise to the Jewish ‘Golden Age’, particularly after 912, during the reign of ‘Abd al-Rahmān III and his son, al-Hakam II. Jewish economic, philosophical and intellectual expansion here was unparalleled.

During ‘Abd al-Rahmān’s term of power, the scholar Moses ben Enoch was appointed Rabbi of Cordoba, and as a consequence al-Andalus became the international centre of Rabbinical studies. Tyrants such as El-Sisi of Egypt today would do well to remember these lessons – his suppression of Islām and Muslims has seen a number of notable Islamic historical figures removed from school-books,[11] such as ‘Uqbah ibn Nāfi’, Tāriq ibn Ziyād and Salāh al-Dīn al-Ayyūbi, under the pretext that these figures “incite violence”.

The Muslims did not attack Roderic because he was seen as a threat to the Muslims or to their interests, but rather to deliver a people from oppression since they understood full well the teachings in Islām concerning oppression and how detested it is in the sight of Allāh, as set out from the beginning of this article.

There are unfortunately many today who seek to exploit and misapply the teachings of the Messenger of Allāh’s (sall Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), such as the concept of the Hilf al-Fudūl; an alliance of nobility which saw him, before prophethood, ally with others to assist a man who had been wronged and oppressed. The alliance was set up to assist a man cheated in business by one of the Quraysh’s own elite. The Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) later stated—after prophethood—that even if the Quraysh called him to be involved in such an alliance then, he would readily accept, i.e. to work with non-Muslims for issues of social justice and against oppression. For Muslims today to work with and praise open oppressors and tyrants, calling it an “alliance of nobility”,[12] is an insult to the mission of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), particularly with those actively involved in oppressing Muslims in Yemen and Palestine—two communities beloved to the Messenger of Allāh. Tāriq’s cooperation in assisting non-Muslims to deliver them from oppression is however more akin to the Hilf al-Fudūl – alliance of nobility – of the Messenger of Allāh’s (sall Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam).

The actions of Tāriq and his army also showed that the noble maxim of jihād is used not just to repel oppression against Muslims, but non-Muslims also. With justice as their armour, and mercy as their shield, they cleansed the Iberian Peninsula of tyranny and laid the foundations for an amazing period of history for we know that within a century, the Umayyids had developed a civilisation based in Cordoba that surpassed that of any on earth and the state was the most populous, cultured, and industrious land of all Europe, remaining so for centuries and catalysing the intellectual, philosophical and technological growth of Europeans beyond its borders.

As a side point, the story of Tāriq also shows us that a person’s ethnic and social status did not form an obstacle to their success in Islām and the Muslim community – Tāriq was a new convert to Islām from the Berber tribe and was said to be a freed slave. This shows that Islām provided high status to all those wishing to strive for it. We are unlikely to find anything similar to this concept of equality and social mobility anywhere in the history of the West.

Tāriq Ibn Ziyād today

Today, a military base located south of Doha, Qatar, is named ‘Tāriq ibn Ziyād’. Also, Gibraltar is British overseas territory and in 1995, Queen Elizabeth II was honoured by having her face printed on the opposite side of the £5 note on which appeared a depiction of Tāriq with sword in hand and a boat to tell the tale of the voyage he had undertaken.

worldbanknotescoins.com

worldbanknotescoins.com

Tāriq has left behind an amazing legacy despite his young age. He laid the foundation for Muslim rule in Spain which started in 711, and ended in 1492 which amounts to 781 yrs. To put that into perspective, if Muslims took control of Spain in 1492 (when they lost control), they would continue to rule until the year 2273.

What is actually remarkable about Tāriq’s life is that unlike many other such luminaries in our history, very little is really known about his life before and after the liberation of Spain – it is as if Allāh had put him on this earth just for this noble deed which we all remember him for.

As for Tāriq, whilst he may have died in obscurity, there are some men who on the account of their noble deeds, Allāh makes their name become immortalised which is why today, more than 1300 years later, Tāriq’s name continues to shine and stands firm and tall like the very mountain which continues to carry his name. Tāriq also continues to remain a source of inspiration for many who yearn for some sign of life in a community that is today cowed and dead.

The answer to the question as to whether Tāriq was an invader or a liberator, I believe is clear, however I will let you be the judge of that.

]]>https://www.islam21c.com/islamic-thought/history/tariq-ibn-ziyad-invader-or-liberator/feed/140348CBS to air the Sisi interview that the Egyptian state tried to blockhttps://www.islam21c.com/news-views/cbs-to-air-the-sisi-interview-that-the-egyptian-state-tried-to-block/
https://www.islam21c.com/news-views/cbs-to-air-the-sisi-interview-that-the-egyptian-state-tried-to-block/#respondSat, 05 Jan 2019 22:20:42 +0000https://www.islam21c.com/?p=40041The CBS Television network has rejected requests by the Egyptian embassy not to broadcast an interview with president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi…

]]>CBS, the US TV network, will broadcast its interview with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi this Sunday after rejecting a request from the Egyptian envoy not to air the broadcast.

During the 60 Minutes programme the Egyptian president was questioned on his relationship with Israel, the mass detainment of political prisoners and the violent and deadly crackdown on protestors following the 2013 military coup.

Although a full transcript has not been released by CBS, Sisi confirmed that Egyptian security forces were collaborating with Israel in battling militant groups within the Sinai Peninsula. Sisi told CBS correspondent Scott Pelley:

“That is correct… We have a wide range of cooperation with the Israelis.” [1]

The president was also asked about reports published by human rights organisations which reported that 60,000 people have been imprisoned and tortured since he seized power in 2013. [2]

Sisi responded by saying, “I don’t know where they got that figure. I said there are no political prisoners in Egypt. Whenever there is a minority trying to impose their extremist ideology we have to intervene regardless of their numbers” [3]

The former defense minister was also asked by CBS if he had given the order to fire on protestors in 2013 that lead to a massacre of at least 1150 Egyptians demonstrating against the military coup that overthrew Egypt’s first democratically elected Parliament and President. [4]

Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, Kenith Roth stated that:

“Egyptian Forces carried out one of the world’s largest killings of demonstrators in a single day in recent history.” [5]

He further added:

“This wasn’t merely a case of excessive force or poor training. It was a violent crackdown planned at the highest levels of the Egyptian government. Many of the same officials are still in power in Egypt, and have a lot to answer for.”

However, Sisi simply claimed that: “there were thousands of armed people in the sit-in for more than 40 days. We tried every peaceful means to disburse [sic] them”. [6]

Following the interview, the 60 Minutes programme was contacted by the Egyptian embassy and requested that CBS not broadcast the interview as the questions asked by the broadcaster “were not the kind of news [Mr Sisi’s] government wanted broadcast”. [7]

Sisi has made attempts to legitimise his regime through successive rigged elections and the arrests of notable scholars and political activists under the pretence of “fighting extremism” which helps his justification of having 60,000 political prisoners. [8]

]]>https://www.islam21c.com/news-views/cbs-to-air-the-sisi-interview-that-the-egyptian-state-tried-to-block/feed/040041Why the Muslim World is Silent Over China’s Repression of Uyghurshttps://www.islam21c.com/politics/why-the-muslim-world-is-silent-over-chinas-repression-of-uyghurs/
https://www.islam21c.com/politics/why-the-muslim-world-is-silent-over-chinas-repression-of-uyghurs/#commentsTue, 01 Jan 2019 18:36:02 +0000https://www.islam21c.com/?p=39941The silence of Muslim-majority states over China's repression of Uyghurs is not due to ignorance, writes Lukman Harees, but a calculated political and economic decision.

]]>The future of more than 10 million Uyghurs, the Turkic-speaking Muslim minority in (what is now) China, is looking increasingly bleak and grim. The current massive crackdown by the Chinese government being waged against them, carried out in the name of “de-extremification”, has still not raised enough eyebrows. China is sparing no pains in its obnoxious campaign to wipe off any proof of its Uyghur Muslim population in what the Communist state calls Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, which was an independent nation state until China began occupying and colonising it in 1949. After a long period of silence partly because of China attempting to link Uyghur Muslim aspirations for liberation with the obnoxious global “War on Terror” discourse, calls have now begun to grow in the UN and the West to pressure China to halt alleged human-rights abuses against its Muslim minority. Unfortunately their brethren in fait have significantly failed to intervene or even offer stern condemnation in this regard.

Islam has been one of the main targets in the Chinese government’s campaign against the Uyghurs, and Islamophobia is being tacitly encouraged by Communist party authorities. Students, peaceful academics and even ordinary people for the simple reason for being Muslims are being jailed, with a massive high-tech surveillance state that monitors and judges every movement, subjecting the widely marginalised Uyghur people to a brutal siege. Internment camps have been set up with up to a million prisoners being indoctrinated and ‘re-educated’, leading to empty neighbourhoods, with major mosques in the major cities of Kashgar and Urumqi standing deserted. Prisoners in the camps are also being compelled to renounce God and embrace the Chinese Communist Party doctrines and prayers, religious education, and the fasting in the month of Ramadan being increasingly restricted or banned.[1] Those who disobey are reportedly subject to torture such as solitary confinement, deprivation of food, water and sleep, and even waterboarding. The reason that so many are being held is because most are arrested for no discernible reason, other than to curb religious practice and erase Uyghur culture.[2]

It is in the backdrop of this relentless state-backed campaign against their religious brethren, that the debased silence of Muslim leaders and communities around the world should be considered as deafening. In comparison, while the fate of the Palestinians stirs rage and resistance throughout the Islamic world, and Rohingyan genocide rightly attracted our attention, there has been comparatively little noise on behalf of the Uyghurs. Even after a UN official citing “credible reports” that the country was holding as many as one million Turkic-speaking Uyghurs in “re-education” camps, governments in Muslim-majority countries have issued no notable statements on the issue. Politicians and many religious leaders who claim to speak for Islām, have shamefully observed silence in the face of China’s political and economic power. Major Islamic countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan have not released meaningful public statements on the clampdown, nor have the likes of Saudi Arabia. Even Turkey, which has in the past offered favourable policies to Turkic-speaking groups and hosts a small Uyghur population of its own, remained silent as PM Erdogan grappled with an economic crisis of their own.

And thus, Beijing so far escaping any serious criticism from governments across the Islamic world in the face of this glaring injustice to Uyghurs, is simply inexcusable to say the least. Peter Irwin, a project manager at the World Uyghur Congress says, “One of our primary barriers has been a definite lack of attention from Muslim-majority states.” This is not out of ignorance. As Omer Kanat, the director of the Uyghur Human Rights Project echoes, “It is very well documented. The Muslim-majority countries governments know what’s happening in East Turkestan”, using the Uyghur term for the region. Many Muslim governments on the contrary, have strengthened their relationship with China or even gone out of their way to support China’s persecution. In 2017, Egypt deported several ethnic Uyghurs to China, where they faced near-certain jail time and, potentially, death, to little protest.[3] This followed similar moves by Malaysia and Pakistan in 2011.[4] Even the Organization of Islamic Cooperation has taken no stand, even though 53 of its 57 members are Muslim-majorities.

What makes the Islamic world largely ignore the shrills and heart-breaking cries of their Uyghurs brethren? Answers lie in both economic and political/diplomatic reasons. China has become a key trade partner of every Muslim-majority nation. Many are members of the Chinese-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank or are participating in China’s Belt and Road Initiative. In South Asia, this means infrastructure investment. China accounts for about one tenth of Saudi Arabia’s oil exports and roughly a third of Iran’s, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. It is Malaysia’s top source of foreign investment. And it has ensured the flow of more than $60 billion in loans for China-Pakistan Economic Corridor infrastructure projects. Thus, Muslim nations “don’t want to damage their relations with China, and consider China a potential ally against the West and the U.S., and therefore they are trying to stay silent,” says Omer Kanat.[5] Thus China’s geo-economic strategy has resulted in political influence. Thus, elites in Muslims nations consider “having positive relations with China is more important than bringing up these human rights issues.”[6]

However, there are political and diplomatic reasons too, as maintaining trade ties is not the only motivator. Some governments loathe to draw global attention to their own shabby human rights records. Beijing has largely refrained from involving itself in conflicts in the Muslim world. Those nations “don’t particularly respect human rights themselves, so it’s hard to imagine that they would jump at an opportunity to criticize China,” says David Brophy, Senior Lecturer in Modern Chinese History at the University of Sydney.[7] Besides, China appears to have little place in the cultural imagination of Islam, even as China’s presence in the Middle East grows.

As Alip Erkin, an activist in Australia who runs the Uyghur Bulletin network says,[8] “the silence of the Muslim majority countries over the horrific treatment of Uyghurs is both frustrating and unsurprising,” even while, as James Millward, a professor at Georgetown University and author of Eurasian Crossroads: A History of Xinjiang opines, “the crackdown is starting to seep into China’s foreign relations. What we’re seeing is the policy effects of a shift in philosophy with regard to cultural diversity and ethnic diversity in China.” It may prove increasingly difficult to maintain the silence of the international community as China’s policies in Xinjiang spill across its borders. It is also frustrating because the principle of Muslim brotherhood has become a selective foreign policy tool that has more to do with the international politics of Muslim countries and less to do with its true message of solidarity. The Islamic world thus has an uncanny way of deeming who is worthy of helping and who is not.

So, the question remains: will the leadership of the Muslim Ummah, as well as the world at large, yet again sit idly by while another targeted genocide like the Rohingyan crisis occurs in China, only to say “never again”?

]]>Egypt has sentenced 75 prominent members or affiliates of the Muslim Brotherhood to death and delivered verdicts for a further 739 in a mass trial over the Rabaa massacre. Amnesty International described the trial as “a grotesque parody of justice.” [1] The defendants had originally been arrested 5 years earlier during the brutal dispersal of the peaceful Rabaa al-Adawiya Mosque sit-in protest.

In 2013, Egyptians, loyal to the democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi, staged a sit-in at Rabaa al-Adawiya Mosque, in Cairo. The peaceful sit-in lasted 45 days with some 85,000 people in attendance.

Abdel Fattah el-Sisi staged a military coup on 3rd July which ousted Egypt’s first democratically elected leader. The protest in support of President Morsi continued, but just weeks after they had begun, Sisi ordered a crackdown. Security forces loyal to Sisi attacked the sit-in with armoured vehicles and bulldozers in the early hours of the morning killing at least 817 peaceful protesters.

This act was seen by many as a crime against humanity equal to, or worse than, that of the infamous Tiananmen square.[2] Human rights watch described the brutal crackdown as: “likely crimes against humanity”. [3]

However, Sisi has granted amnesty to the security forces which killed the unarmed protestors. Amnesty International commented:

“The fact that not a single police officer has been brought to account for the killing of at least 900 people in the Rabaa and Nahda protests shows what a mockery of justice this trial was.” [4]

The verdict, by judge Hassan Farid el-Shami, was announced on Saturday in Cairo’s heavily fortified Tora prison courthouse. Among those who received death sentences were senior Muslim Brotherhood leader Essam el-Erian, politician Mohamed el-Beltagy, former youth minister Osama Yassin and Abdel-Rahman el-Barr. The court also sentenced the Muslim Brotherhood’s supreme leader, Mohammed Badie, in addition to 46 others, to life in prison.

The process has taken so long that five defendants have died in prison awaiting trial. An Amnesty International representative commented:

“This raises an important point, which is the practice of prolonged pre-trial detention, which is so commonplace in the Egyptian legal system and effectively [renders] defendants in Egypt guilty until proven otherwise”. [5]

A female relative of former youth minister, Osama Yassin who had also been sentenced to death said the verdicts were:

“absurd and unfair … They were the ones getting killed in Rabaa, yet they are the ones now being tried and given death sentences.” [6]

The former US Secretary of State, John Kerry, described Sisi’s bloody military coup as a “restoration of democracy”. [7] Quite how the US would describe the mass trial and sentencing to death of protestors remains to be seen. However, with Sisi seeking to extend his two-term limit,[8] it seems the US sanctioned “democracy” in Egypt is set to continue for the foreseeable future.

He preferred death and torture to renouncing what he had declared. It is to him that the powerful and profound statement is attributed: “The finger that testifies that there is no God but Allāh refuses to testify to other than Him.”

]]>August 29th 2018 marks 52 years since Syed Qutb, the great Egyptian Muslim thinker, was hanged by the regime of Jamal Abdel Nasser.

Syed Qutb was born in October, 1906 in the Egyptian town of Musha. Here, he memorised the Qur’ān at the age of 10, before relocating to Cairo and earning a degree in Literature. Qutb devoted himself to authorship and literature. From a young age he would amass books and scholarly work and borrow from shopkeepers when he could not afford them.

Later on in his life, he was awarded a scholarship to study in the United States. There, after a period of self-reflection and inner reformation from previous convictions, he found peace and contentment with Islām. His experience in the US created in his conscious a wholesome understanding of the manifestations of Secularism and materialism, now evident before his eyes, and was of the strongest forces of influence in inclining his heart towards Islām.

He argued that the Shari’ah is the most complete system that extends into all aspects of life and would bring every kind of benefit to humanity, including personal and social peace, and unlock the treasures of the universe.[1] He believed the Shari’ah to be the only adequate basis for political governance and powerfully refuted the popular ideology of Arab nationalism.

Qutb published his first major theoretical Islamic work ‘Social Justice in Islām’ in 1949. Other of his works include ‘in the Shade of the Qur’ān’, ‘Scenes of the Day of Judgement in the Qur’ān’, ‘Milestones’ amongst many others. They are read and benefited from by millions across the world to this day.

Qutb’s struggle and journey led him to conclude Nasser’s government was just another proponent of anti-Islamic thought and Secularism. Rather than an advocator of divine authority, it was just another assisted by western imperialism and driven by remnants of colonialism. Qutb settled on becoming one of the most important inspirers of Islamic political activism in Egypt and across the world, and of the most famous theologians and thinkers in contemporary history.

14 years before the hanging, Qutb delivered an address at a military parade attended by Abdel Nasser himself, celebrating the fall of the Egyptian Monarchy. Here, addressing the audience, Qutb said:

“We cannot praise the revolution, because it has not achieved anything noteworthy. The ouster of the king was not the aim of the revolution, rather its aim is to return the country to Islām […] I was prepared for imprisonment during the period of the [Egyptian] monarchy… and today I am also prepared for imprisonment and for other than imprisonment, even more than before.”

To this Abdel Nasser replied: “My older brother Syed, by Allāh they will not reach you except on our lifeless bodies!”

Just 14 years later, what Qutb envisaged became a reality, and he was executed at the hands of his ‘students’; the ‘Officers of the July Revolution’ against Egypt’s monarchy.

Qutb preferred death and torture to renouncing what he had declared. It is to him that the powerful and profound statement is attributed,

“The finger that testifies that there is no God but Allāh refuses to testify to other than Him.”

As a result of his commitment, he was promptly hanged.

Many have since criticised Syed Qutb and accused him of being the inspirer of ‘Takfiri’ thought, or that which encourages excommunication of individuals and the like. Though, almost every time, and much like other notable theologians of the past, his works are segmented, extracted without textual or political context or outright fabricated. Many have likewise overlooked his extraordinary contribution to Islamic thought, reformation, literature and revolutionary sentiment for which he paid the cost with his own life.[2]

In a response to a question regarding, Syed Qutb, Shaykh Abdullah ibn Abdulrahman ibn Jibreen, a Saudi-based scholar who was a member of the Council of Senior Scholars and Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Fatwa stated;

“Both (Syed Qutb and al Hassan al-Banna) were Duʿāt (callers) to Allāh, and have displayed patience and perseverance more than many others. Both of them were patient in the face of being killed, having been killed unjustly without abdicating what they called towards. It was later that certain individuals emerged who insulted them and picked out their mistakes, classifying them as ‘misguided’, ‘callers to misguidance’, and disbelievers, outside the fold of Islām. It is an obligation upon a Muslim to recognise the people of good, indicating where they made mistakes and errors, whilst not disavowing the good of those who do good, nor denying the status and benefit of scholars. For, these scholars from the Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwanul Muslimoon), have dignified stances that many who came after will never be able to match. This is despite them having made mistakes in Ijtihād for which they are excused.”[3]

In the life of the Sheikh al-Albany written by Mohammed Al Shaibani, Sheikh al-Albany is quoted to have said,

“It is in the words of Syed Qutb (raḥimahu Allāhu) and in some of his articles that the researcher may feel that he was excessively enthusiastic, in his attempts to clarify to the reader. He may be justified by the fact that he used to write in (particular) literary style […] In some of the matters of Fiqh, like his discussion on the right of workers in his book “Social Justice” he writes about Tawhid with strong words, some that (go about) reviving the religious confidence and faith in the hearts of the believers. In this regard, he may have in fact renewed the call of Islam in the hearts of the youth…”

We ask that Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) grants Syed Qutb (raḥimahu Allāhu) and all those who were killed unjustly Jannat al-Firdaus and that He brings about much greater good for their people in this world and the next.